18 Facts About Merv Riepe

Mervin Merle Riepe was born on July 16,1942 and is an American politician from the state of Nebraska.

In 2018, he lost re-election to Democrat Steve Lathrop, but in 2022 after Lathrop decided not to seek re-election, Riepe was again elected to the Nebraska Legislature.

Merv Riepe was born July 16,1942, in rural Griswold, Iowa.

Merv Riepe graduated from Griswold High School in 1960, then served as a hospital corpsman in the US Navy from 1960 to 1963.

In 1974, Merv Riepe married Janet Lee Anderson, a teacher at Benson High School in Omaha.

Janet Merv Riepe was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1978, and died of pneumonia arising therefrom in March 1996.

Merv Riepe made two unsuccessful attempts to win a seat on the Ralston Public Schools Board of Education.

In November 2013, Merv Riepe announced that he would run for the District 12 seat in the Nebraska Legislature.

Merv Riepe had never sought office before, but had lobbied for the racing industry's interests at the legislature.

Merv Riepe stated that he had no fixed agenda, but would work for economic development in the district.

Merv Riepe stated that his priorities included the passage of a voter-identification law.

Merv Riepe suggested that Hosch might push a measure to allow betting on historical videotaped races at Nebraska's racetracks; the Legislature had voted to place such a measure on the 2014 ballot, but the Nebraska Supreme Court had found that aspects of the ballot measure violated provisions of Nebraska's constitution relating to referendums, and had ordered its removal.

Hosch, meanwhile, suggested that Merv Riepe might be inclined to represent the interests of the health-care industry rather than those of the Nebraska taxpayer, should the two come into conflict.

Merv Riepe voted against the death-penalty repeal, and to sustain Ricketts's veto of the measure; he voted against the passage of LB623, then to sustain the gubernatorial veto; and he abstained in the vote on the gas-tax increase, then voted to sustain the veto.

Merv Riepe voted against the bill at its passage, and against the override of Ricketts's veto.

Merv Riepe abstained from voting on a motion to advance a bill banning abortions after six weeks to the final round of voting, airing concerns that the ban might not give women enough time to know whether they are pregnant.

Merv Riepe had previously filed to amend the bill to a ban after 12 weeks.

Merv Riepe's pointed to his career as a hospital administrator as a motivating factor in his abstention, which effectively killed the bill.